[Dailydrool] Puppy in the White House

[Hinchliffe at aol.com]

In a message dated 11/6/2008 6:15:02 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, L.K.  
Metzler writes:

No  matter what kind of puppy the Obama family selects or where the puppy 
comes  from, there are certain questions that come to  mind....

Are there Secret Service Dogs,  and if so, what kind of dogs are they?
What will the First Puppy  have a Secret Service code name?  

Which major newspaper will be used in housetraining for the First  Puppy?

Will the First Puppy have to carry an  identification badge like other White 
House inhabitants?  
Will  the First Puppy have open access to the Oval Office and other parts of 
the  West Wing?
----------
These questions in your post not only gave me a laugh, but brought me back  
to some wonderful memories!  And I can actually answer some of them -- I  used 
to work in the White House (for the first President Bush), and one of my  
favorite buddies was Ranger, his springer spaniel.  (I also loved Millie,  
Ranger's Mom, but she was shy and Velcroed to Mrs. Bush, whereas Ranger loved  
visiting his friends everywhere throughout the building -- yes, he had free  reign 
to wander wherever he wanted.)
 
Yes, he had his own little i.d. tag made up, with his picture and  
everything, just like ours.  Didn't have to carry it, but it proudly  dangled from his 
collar.  Along with occasional notes from the  President.  You see, Ranger was 
The Champion Moocher.  He's go down  the corridor finding the doors of all his 
friends, then come in and give the  "I-haven't-eaten-in-days" look (yes, that 
one), and we'd all feed him.  So  the President sometimes taped a note onto 
his collar saying "Don't Feed  Me."  He (the President, not Ranger) once sent 
around a memo to all of  the "known suspects" (yes, I was one of them) asking 
that he not  be given treats any more, because "he's starting to look like a  
Holstein.  An adorable, irresistible Holstein, but a Holstein  nonetheless."
 
He (Ranger, not the President) knew exactly where my dog cookies were kept,  
so some days I'd look up and there he'd be, sitting with his head resting on 
the  little coffeetable next to the side table that had a drawer, staring  at 
it with levitating laser-intensity.
 
Yes, there are Secret Service dogs -- mostly German Shepherds, and they  live 
with their handlers.  They're "on duty" when their special collars go  on, 
and they snap to attention; when the collars go off, they're silly, spoiled  
family dogs who sleep on beds.  The first day I arrived, I drove my car up  to 
the West Gate for admittance.  The dog on duty came inside to sniff  everything 
-- then suddenly alerted.  "Please step out of the car, miss,"  the agent 
said, moving into position.  My career flashed before my  eyes -- what could he 
have found?  They gingerly removed the package he was  signalling -- and 
discovered that it was my homemade fudge I'd brought for the  office.  The agent 
sighed.  "Chocolate is his weak point," he  said.  The dog became a good friend 
for the whole time I was there.
 
Other questions you asked -- what newspapers will be used for  housebreaking? 
 When Millie had puppies, Mrs. Bush laughed that she had  been using the New 
York Times for the puppies, but noticed that all their white  on their little 
coats had turned gray because the ink came right off on  them.  So she 
switched to the Washington Post, better quality printing  process.
 
I love all those memories.  I remember looking out some very early  mornings 
and late nights during crisis times and seeing the President walking  the 
grounds, alone except for Millie or Ranger or both.  And when the  puppies were 
there, he was adorable, down on the ground with them, even lying on  his back 
and having them crawl and snuggle all over him.
 
Beth (Duchess ATB and Blueberry ATB)
-----------------------------
For Duchess and Blueberry: "You  have gone ahead and nothing is the same, 
leaving paw prints on my heart that  will always remain." 
-- Tibetan Proverb from Prayers on the  Wind
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